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[This was originally posted February 1st, 2020, in the days before NWA GOLD as a site. A "title snippet", it is meant as a placeholder for a title biography to be written later.]
As mentioned a couple of days ago, I’m cataloging photos of all of the NWA-sanctioned titles from the past that I can find through my own amateur research. This includes regional championships like the formerly NWA-sanctioned Wrestle Birmingham Alabama Tag Team championships pictured below. While I’ve reached out to the promoter for better photos, take a look at these, because I’ve never seen anything quite like them. (EDIT: Further research shows these belts were likely created by "Exotic" Adrian Street, a Wrestle Birmingham staple.]
While there are main and side plate areas, everything here looks stitched. No gold or silver - just the Coat of Arms of Alabama, complete with the eagles and the flags of all the countries that claimed ownership of the area at one time or another. The flag of Alabama (the red “X” over the white) backs it up while the state flower, the camellia, sits on either side and the words “The Heart of Dixie” run across the golden banner underneath. While the strong suggestion of the Confederate battle flag underneath is a hot button issue I won’t touch on much here (but I will another time, because it deserves touching), the fact remains that these are incredible-looking, visually-striking titles.
I’m a title belt junkie. In a sport where the most-watched promotion in the world has tried to pass off everything from gold spinner plates to giant homogenized “W” emblems as premier craftsmanship, I continue to look to the NWA for tradition-fueled title belt excellence. Whether it’s regional straps like these, the Television championship, the Domed Globe, Big Gold, or the Southern, Pacific Northwest, or Western States Heritage titles, you’ll be hard pressed to find more beautiful belts almost anywhere else.
- Tim Wood, NWA GOLD